The current One Health crisis brought about by the challenge of viral diseases and the need to improve the level of biosecurity practiced across species has spurred the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to take a big step forward to protect animals.
On Jan. 10, the House of Delegates of the AVMA voted unanimously to approve a resolution entitled “Biosecurity.” This resolution, authored by Scott Dee, DVM, and sponsored by the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, is based on scientific research documenting the ability of an evidence-based biosecurity programs to control PRRSV infection across a large-scale pork production system for an extended period.
“Globally, herds, flocks, companion animals, and exotic wildlife populations are at risk of infection by multiple agents, including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), and African swine fever virus (ASFV) in pigs, along with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) infection in multiple avian and mammalian species, resulting in a documented spillover into humans,” explains Dee. “Therefore, to protect the health and welfare of all that are at risk, veterinarians must practice biosecurity that is science-based, as historically, the practice of animal biosecurity has been long on marketing and short on science, resulting in mixed messages to animal owners and the public.”
Dee says the research not only proved the efficacy of science-based biosecurity, but also raised the question of how this new information could be leveraged beyond pigs and PRRSV for the benefit of “ all people short and tall, and all creatures great and small.”
Approval of the resolution led to an AVMA policy on biosecurity, as follows:
• Diseases of animals can be transmitted in many ways, including direct and indirect oral, airborne, and vector borne routes of transmission.
• Because of these many risks, prevention of disease transmission through the practice of biosecurity is critical to protecting the health and welfare of all species.
• To be effective, biosecurity programs should be, based on scientific evidence and current best practice(s) as applicable.
• The AVMA supports the protection of the health and welfare of animals through the practice of science-based biosecurity and encourages its members to become familiar with this approach.
“Since an AVMA policy on biosecurity did not previously exist, this was a logical first step to take,” Dee says. “As mentioned in the policy, all veterinarians across all species should become familiar with the science of biosecurity, follow an evidence-based approach to practice it in the field, and strive to bring answers to existing questions.”
Using scientific information from pivotal publications to write policy for the benefit of the profession is a novel approach when dealing with critical matters that affect animal and human health, Dee explains. Read more from the AVMA meeting here.
